According to the Central Bank’s Weekly Economic Indicators report, the Sri Lankan rupee saw a 9.0% appreciation against the US dollar as of April 26, 2024.
Additionally, against other currencies, the rupee appreciated by 20.0% against the Japanese yen, 11.0% against the pound sterling, 12.6% against the Euro, and 9.2% against the Indian rupee during the same period.
The report highlighted a decline in T-Bill yield rates, stable T-Bond yield rates, and a 5% reduction in the outstanding stock of T-Bills and T-Bonds held by foreigners. Despite being oversubscribed by 2.3 times, the weekly T-Bill auction took place, while secondary market transactions in T-Bills and T-Bonds decreased by 21% compared to the previous week.
Year-on-year, the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) showed a decrease in headline inflation to 2.5% in March 2024 from 5.1% in February 2024, with food inflation at 5.0% and non-food inflation at 0.7%. However, core inflation increased to 3.4% in March from 2.7% in February.